Windshield wiper construction

ABSTRACT

A windshield wiper assembly including a wiper arm, a flexible wiping blade and a blade superstructure for operatively supporting the blade, and a connecting element adapted to detachably secure the subassembly consisting of the blade and the blade superstructure upon one end of the wiper arm, the connecting element comprising first and second integral attachment sections operatively connected to the arm and the superstructure and being of a molded, one-piece construction fabricated of a corrosion resistant polymeric material.

United States Patent 1 1 van den Berg et al.

WINDSHIELD WIPER CONSTRUCTION Inventors: Johan H. van den Berg, Hasselt;

Albert J. G. Hoebrechts, Mechelen; Alex Herman A. M. Van Eekelen, llasselt, all of Belgium Monroe Belgium N.V., Sint-Truiden, BelgiumFiled: May 4, 1972 Appl. No.: 250,340

Assignee:

US. Cl. 15/250.32 Int. Cl. B605 1/40 Field of Search 15/250.31, 250.32,250.42

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1962 Prohaska 15/250.32 8/1962Graczyk et al 15/250.32 10/1962 Oishei et a1 15/250.32 3/1963 Bock et all5/250.32

[451 Sept. 24, 1974 3,405,419 10/1968 Charlton et a1 15/25032 3,621,50711/1971 Allaria et a1 15/250.32

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 228,998 7/1960 Australia 15/250.32

Primary Examiner-Peter Feldman Attorney, Agent, or FirmHarness, Dickey &Pierce [5 7 ABSTRACT A windshield wiper assembly including a wiper arm,a flexible wiping blade and a blade superstructure for operativelysupporting the blade, and a connecting element adapted to detachablysecure the subassembly consisting of the blade and the bladesuperstructure upon one end of the wiper arm, the connecting elementcomprising first and second integral attachment sections operativelyconnected to the arm and the superstructure and being of a molded,one-piece construction fabricated of a corrosion resistant polymericmaterial.

9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures WINDSI-II-ELD WiIPER CONSTRUCTION SUMMARY OFTHE aINVENTION The present invention is directed toward a new andimproved connecting element for operatively securing a windshield wiperarm to an associated subassembly consisting of a wiper blade andassociated support -superstructure. The connecting element .of .thepresent invention will be found to have a number of features not shownin the prior art due to the fact that said element is of a one-piecemolded plastic construction, preferably fabricated of nylon. As a resultof this construction, only a single component part'is required insteadof a large number of separate components as has been necessary inheretofore known and ,used similar types of connectors. In addition, byvirtue .of the fact that the connecting element is fabricated of a polymeric or plastic material, there is no metal to metal contact and thusthe connecting element of the present invention exhibits superior noisereducing characteristics. Also, no non-metallic spacer'elements arenecessary to avoid noise, as has been necessary in prior art connectingelements. Furthermore, by fabricating the connecting element of thepresent invention ofa corrosion-resistant material, no special coating,i.e. painting or the like, is required in order to avoid corrosion ofthe different metallic parts having different positions on theelectromotive scale, as has been necessary in the prior art. Of course,no coloring operations are necessary since pigmentation can beincorporated in the material from which the connecting element isfabricated.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to providea new and improved connecting element for operatively connectingwindshield wiper blades and associated superstructure to a wiper arm.

It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide a newand improved connecting element of the above character which is of aone-piece molded plastic construction and is thereby adapted to minimizeinventory and related manufacturing expenses to the extreme.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved windshield wiper connecting element, as above described, whichexhibits superior corrosion resistance and noise reducingcharacteristics.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved windshield connecting element that is of a simple design, andwhich will have a long and effective operational life.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OFTI-I'E DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational viewofthe connecting element of the present invention. as shown in operativeassociation of a conventional windshield wiper blade, superstructure andwiper arm;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the connecting elementshown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an enlarged topelevational view of theeonnecting element shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4is an enlarged side elevational view of the connecting element ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the right end of the connectingelement illustrated in FIG. 4, and

FIG. 6 is a bottom elevational view of-the connecting elementillustrated in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in detail to thedrawing and in particu- .lar to FIGS. 1 through 3 thereof, a windshieldwiper blade assembly 10 is shown in general operative association with awiper arm 12 which is intended to function in reciprocating the wiperblade assembly 10 across a surface, such as a vehicle windshield (notshown) to be cleaned. The assembly 10 generally comprises a wiperelement 14 that is preferably constructed of some desirable resilientmaterial, such as rubber or the like, and which is adapted to besupported by a wiper blade superstructure 16 upon the outer extremity ofthe arm 12. The wiper element 14 typically comprises a wiping lipportion 18 and a coextensive head portion 20 which are adapted to besupported by a longitudinally extending backing strip or flexor element24.

The superstructure 16 is shown as comprising a pair of elongated yokesor links 26 and 28 that are substantially identical in construction andoperation and which comprise generally U-shaped 0r claw-like endsections 30 adapted for clamping engagement with the aforementionedflexor element 24 in a manner well known in the art. Extending betweenand operatively connecting the yokes 26 and 28 is an elongated bridgemember 32 having opposite end portions 34 connected to the upperextremities of the yokes 26 and 28. As best shown in FIG. 3, the bridgemember 32 is of a generally channel-shaped configuration and comprisesopposed side portions 36 and 38 and an interconnecting top or webportion 40. The top portion 40 of the bridge member 32 is formed with acentral opening 42 which is adapted to operatively receive a connectingelement 44 that is constructed in accordance withthe principles of thepresent invention and is operable to support the subassembly consistingof the superstructure l6 and as sembly 10 on the outer or terminal endof the arm 12, as will hereinafter be described in detail.

As best shown in FIGS. 4 through 6, the connecting element 44 of thepresent invention is of a molded onepiece construction and comprises abody 46 which is made up of an arm attachment section 48 and a bladeattachment section 50. The blade attachment section 50 is formed with areduced thickness portion 52 which defines a pair of laterally extendingshoulders 54 and 56. The lateral width of the portion 52 is designed tocorrespond with the interior spacing between the side portions 36 and 38of the bridge member 32, whereby the connecting element 44 is adapted tobe nestin'gly received therebetween, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. Thesection 50 is formed with a laterally extending opening 58 which isadapted for registry with a pair of aligned openings in the side portion36, 38 of the bridge member 32, which openings are adapted to receive ,asuitable pivot pin, rivet or the like 60 for pivotably connecting theconnecting element 44 to the superstructure l6, and in particular, thebridge member 32' thereof. As illustrated, when the connecting element44 is thus connected to the bridge member 32, the, blade assembly 10 ispivotable about an axisextendingat generally right angles to the arm 12,as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

With reference now to the arm attachment section 48 of the connectingelement 44, said section 48, as previously mentioned, is formedintegrally of the attachment section 50 and comprises a longitudinallyextending top portion 62 and a pair of downwardly extending laterallyspaced side portions 64 and 66, as best seen in FIG. 5. Extendinglongitudinally outwardly from the body 46 at the position interjacentthe side portions 64, 66 is a resilient spring finger section 68 whichdefines with the portions 62 through 66, a generally rectangular shaped,longitudinally extending recess 70 that is adapted to nestingly receivethe terminal end 72 of the wiper arm 12 in a manner best shown in FIG.4. The spring finger section 68 is formed with a reinforcing rib or thelike 73 on the lower side thereof and is adapted to deform or pivotabout an axis extending generally perpendicular to the recess 70,whereby to resiliently bias the terminal end 72 of the arm 12 upwardlytoward the underside of the top portion 62. In this configuration, agenerally cylindrically shaped lug 74, that is conventionally providedon the terminal ends of windshield wiper arms, is biased upwardly intonesting engagement with an annular opening 76 formed within the topportion 62, whereby to fixedly secure the connecting element 44 againstrelative longitudinal displacement with respect to the arm 12.

While the connecting element 44 of the present invention may befabricated of a wide variety of different types of materials, theelement 44 is preferably fabricated of a corrosion resistant plasticmaterial which is of a high structural integrity. One material that hasbeen found to be highly satisfactory is Nylon 6 which consists of aNylon obtained by polycondensation of caprolactam. This particularmaterial has the following general physical characteristics: a tensilestrength of between 73,000 and 120,000 lb./sq. inch; elongation 16 to 42percent; specific gravity 1.14; and a moisture absorbency of 8 percentat 95 percent relative humidity. It will be appreciated, of course, thatvarious other materials having similar physical characteristics may beused in fabrication of a connecting element 44 without departing fromthe scope of the present invention. In

accordance with a preferred construction of the present invention, thematerial from which the connecting element 44 is fabricated isreinforced with a glass fibrous material or an equivalent strengtheningsubstance. While such strengthening material is not absolutely necessaryto achieve proper operation of the element 44, the provision of suchancillary material has been found highly desirable in enhancing thestructural integrity thereof. Preferably a composition of approximately70 percent Nylon to approximately 30 percent glass fiber has been foundto be highly satisfactory.

One particularly important feature of the present invention resides inthe fact that the connecting element 44 is of a one-piece, moldedconstruction, and thus overcomes a number of particularly objectionable.

manufacturing characteristics of similar type elements heretofore knownand used in the prior art which consisted of multicomponents that werefabricated, for example, of various metallic materials. The constructionofthis invention readily lends itself to injection molding techniques.thus obviating the need for any complicated stamping and assemblyoperations which have been required with metal connectors. Anotherfeature of the present invention results in the fact that there is nometal-to-metal contact between various components thereof, thusenhancing the noise characteristics of the connecting element 44. Inaddition, no plastic or similar non-metallic spacer elements arerequired for separating metal components, as has heretofore beenrequired. Additionally, by fabricating the connecting element 44 of aone-piece molded plastic construction, the corrosion resistancecharacteristics of the element are inordinately superior to conventionalmetal connecting elements, with such superior corrosion resistanceexisting without the need for any painting or other coating operations.Of course, when it is desired to color the connecting element of thepresent invention, the coloring pigment may be placed directly withinthe material from which the connecting element 44 is fabricated so as toprovide certain aesthetic advantages over conventional metal connectors.Still a further advantage of the present invention over prior knownconnecting elements results in the minimizing of the light reflectioncharacteristics which may be achieved with molded plastics, as comparedwith the highly reflective character of conventional metal connectors,whereby to assure against possible distracting glare under certain lightconditions.

It will be noted that the spring finger section 68 slopes upwardlytoward the outer end of the recess 70 so that at such time as theterminal end 72 of the associated wiper arm 12 is inserted into therecess 70, the finger section 68 is biased slightly downwardly relativeto the top portion 62, with such biasing of the spring finger section 68causing the same to be stressed, which in turn results in the section 68exerting a continuously upwardly directed force against the underside ofthe end 72 of the arm 12 to insure positive engagement of the lug 74within the opening 76. It will be appreciated, of course, that at suchtime as it is desired to detach the assembly 10 from the arm 12, it ismerely necessary to bias the finger section 68 slightly downwardly topermit the end 72 to be moved away from the top portion 62 and thuseffect withdrawal of the lug 74 from the opening 76, at which time theentire assembly 10 may be longitudinally displaced away from the end ofthe wiper arm 12 for purposes of replacement, inspection, etc.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment illustratedherein is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it willbe appreciated that the present invention is susceptible tomodification,'variation and change without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A monolithically formed connecting element for detachably securing asubassembly consisting of a windshield wiper blade and a bladesupporting superstructure to an outer end of a movable wiper arm, saidsuperstructure including a generally channel shaped member havingopposed side sections and a top section defining an opening and saidouter end of said arm being of generally rectangular shaped crosssection and having a locking portion on the upper side thereof,

said element comprising an elongated body fabricated from a corrosionresistent polymeric material and having a first section at one endthereof operatively mounted within said opening in said channel shapedmember and a second section at the opposite end thereof adapted to besecured to said end of said associated wiper arm,

said first section of said element being substantially the same lateralwidth as the distance between said side section of said channel shapedmember, means extending laterally through said side section of saidchannel shaped member and through an opening formed laterally in saidfirst section for pivotably supporting said first section,

said second section of said element body defining an elongated generallyrectangularly shaped blind aperture having parallel vertically extendingside walls spaced laterally apart a distance at least as great as thelateral width of said end portion, and upper and lower walls extendinglaterally between said side walls,

said upper wall having means thereon defining a locking portion adaptedto cooperate with the locking portion on the wiper arm,

means for applying a compressive bias against the lower side of saidwiper arm, said means including a portion removed from said lower wallwhich defines a flexible cantilevered finger, said finger extendingtoward the open end of said aperture and projecting partially upwardlythereinto, said finger being deflected downwardly away from said upperwall when said end portion of the wiper arm is inserted into saidaperture and is adapted to resiliently urge said outer end of said wiperarm upwardly to effect positive engagement of said cooperative lockingportions.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said connecting elementis fabricated of a material having a tensile strength of between 73,000and 123,000 pounds per square inch, a specific gravity of approximatelyH4 and which is reinforced with glass fiber.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 2 wherein said connecting elementis fabricated of Nylon 6.

4. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said laterallyextending means of said first section defines a laterally extending boreadapted to receive a pivot pin for pivotably connecting said element tosaid superstructure, and wherein said connecting element is fabricatedof Nylon.

5. The invention as set forth in claim 1 which includes a reinforcingrib formed integrally of said element on the under side of said finger.

6. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said finger is definedin part by a pair of laterally spaced slots formed in said lower wall.

7. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said open end of saidaperture is located at the opposite end of said element from said firstsection thereof.

8. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said locking portionscomprise interengageable male and female sections.

9. The invention as set forth in claim 8 wherein said female section ison said element and said male section is on said wiper arm.

1. A monolithically formed connecting element for detachably securing asubassembly consisting of a windshield wiper blade and a bladesupporting superstructure to an outer end of a movable wiper arm, saidsuperstructure including a generally channel shaped member havingopposed side sections and a top section defining an opening and saidouter end of said arm being of generally rectangular shaped crosssection and having a locking portion on the upper side thereof, saidelement comprising an elongated body fabricated from a corrosionresistent polymeric material and having a first section at one endthereof operatively mounted within said opening in said channel shapedmember and a second section at the opposite end thereof adapted to besecured to said end of said associated wiper arm, said first section ofsaid element being substantially the same lateral width as the distancebetween said side section of said channel shaped member, means extendinglaterally through said side section of said channel shaped member andthrough an opening formed laterally in said first section for pivotablysupporting said first section, said second section of said element bodydefining an elongated generally rectangularly shaped blind aperturehaving parallel vertically extending side walls spaced laterally apart adistance at least as great as the lateral width of said end portion, andupper and lower walls extending laterally between said side walls, saidupper wall having means thereon defining a locking portion adapted tocooperate with the locking portion on the wiper arm, means for applyinga compressive bias against the lower side of said wiper arm, said meansincluding a portion removed from said lower wall which defines aflexible cantilevered finger, said finger extending toward the open endof said aperture and projecting partially upwardly thereinto, saidfinger being deflected downwardly away from said upper wall when saidend portion Of the wiper arm is inserted into said aperture and isadapted to resiliently urge said outer end of said wiper arm upwardly toeffect positive engagement of said cooperative locking portions.
 2. Theinvention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said connecting element isfabricated of a material having a tensile strength of between 73,000 and123,000 pounds per square inch, a specific gravity of approximately 1.14and which is reinforced with glass fiber.
 3. The invention as set forthin claim 2 wherein said connecting element is fabricated of Nylon
 6. 4.The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said laterally extendingmeans of said first section defines a laterally extending bore adaptedto receive a pivot pin for pivotably connecting said element to saidsuperstructure, and wherein said connecting element is fabricated ofNylon.
 5. The invention as set forth in claim 1 which includes areinforcing rib formed integrally of said element on the under side ofsaid finger.
 6. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidfinger is defined in part by a pair of laterally spaced slots formed insaid lower wall.
 7. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidopen end of said aperture is located at the opposite end of said elementfrom said first section thereof.
 8. The invention as set forth in claim1 wherein said locking portions comprise interengageable male and femalesections.
 9. The invention as set forth in claim 8 wherein said femalesection is on said element and said male section is on said wiper arm.